American Nazi Fascist and anti-Semitic organizations are engaged in a form of racketeering as well as in subversive activities, the Dies Committee found in a preliminary report of its investigation today.
The primary aims of the Nazi-Fascist organizations, the committee said, are: (1) a radical change in the American form of Government, and (2) collection of dues from such misguided citizens as will support them.
Warning “all our citizens against aping the methods of foreign dictators,” the committee said:
“In these times when democracy is harassed from many sides, peewee Hitlers have arisen in our midst urging our people, through an unprecedented volume of propagandistic literature, to resort to force and violence against large sections of our population.” The Nazi leaders were characterized as “aspiring Fuehrers” and “would-be Caesars.”
“The voluminous correspondence in this committee’s possession,” the report said, “shows that time and time again these American Fuehrers have proposed to each other the necessity and justification for military action. Some of the groups which our committee has been investigating use the Swastika as their official emblem and almost without exception all of them profess admiration for Hitler and his regime.”
The first part of this report dealing with the inroads of Nazism on the United States was released after the committee finished hearing the weird career of William Dudley Pelley, whose presses spew tons of anti-Semitic literature, described by investigators. Two more sections of the report will be released this week. Tuesday of next week the committee will shift its investigation to Communism, when Earl Browder, secretary of the Communist Party, will be called.
The preliminary report continually likened the Fascists and Nazis to Hitler. The Dies Committee said:
“Like Hitler, these American Fascists make their chief appeal to the basest forms of race hatred. Like Hitler they promise to deliver this country from the menace of Communism. Like Hitler, they heap scorn upon the institutions of democracy. Like Hitler they urge the short cuts of force and violence.”
The testimony reveals widespread cooperation between half a hundred of the Nazi-Fascist groups. Interchange of speakers and literature is common. On several occasions in recent months they have made efforts to come together in some form of permanent federation. So far these efforts have been frustrated by organizational difficulties but the search for a “man on horseback” goes on.
“Large quantities of Nazi literature, printed in Germany, and disseminated by these admirers of Hitler, are reprinted in their publications. Several witnesses admitted seeking advice and support at the embassies of foreign powers.
“We call special attention to the deplorable prostitution of such words as ‘patriotism’ and ‘Christian’ to the selfish ends of these Fascist racketeers…
“The testimony has involved frequent mention of various races and religions which constitute very large and important elements in our population…
“Evidence which we have received shows very clearly that only relatively insignificant minorities of any race, nationality or religion are in any way involved in alien propaganda or design against our established forms of government.”
Dies said it must not be inferred that the investigation of Nazi and Fascist groups has been concluded. “We have yet to hear many important witnesses on this particular type of un-American activity,” he said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
